CHAPTER-2

“WE’RE NOT AFRAID TO DIE…

IF WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER”

BY
GORDON COOK AND ALAN EAST
 TEXT, TITLE AND THEMES
close encounter with death
kept their courage for they found strength in togetherness
spirit of human beings to face disasters
stand victorious with their courage , determination and will power
a treatise on courage and valour
a first person account of an adventurous ordeal
TITLE: “WE’RE NOT AFRAID TO DIE…IF WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER”
THEMES: > human nature of knowing and taking on challenges
> human instinct for survival
> human bravery, grit, courage, unity and determination
> faith in ones optimism
> sharp presence of mind
> qualities of a captain
Gordon Cook set out from Plymouth with
his wife Mary and their two very young
children, to repeat the third and last
voyage that Captain James Cook made in
1776. The bicentenaries of Captain Cook’s
first two voyages in 1963 and 1969 had
both passed with little or nothing to
celebrate them, despite huge fund-raising
efforts. When both of these bicentenary
events ended in failure, Gordon vowed to
sail in his own ship and repeat Captain
Cook’s final voyage 200 years later in
1976. Despite numerous problems he
completed and fitted out a beautiful
seventy-foot schooner, Wavewalker.
Gordon was awarded the prestigious Lady
Swathling Trophy by the Shipwrecked
Mariner’s Society for that year’s “most
outstanding act of seamanship and
navigation that saved the lives of all the
people on board”.
 SERIES OF EVENTS
An Overview
 a dream voyage
 first leg of the journey
 first signs of impending disaster
 January 2- preparing for the worst
 disaster and its aftermath
crew member’s show of unparalleled strength
 January 3- conditions under control but critical
 only hope for the captain
 crucial days- January 4 and 5
 show of exemplary courage
 safe at last
PARTS OF SHIP
Preparation
•The journey was planned for
three years and a distance of
105,000 kilometers
•Route plan – Start point England,
via South Africa, through Indian
Ocean, then to Australia, the
Americas and finally back in
England
•The boat – Wavewalker – a 23
meter long, 30 ton wooden hulled
beauty
•Sailors – The narrator, his wife
Mary, son Jonathan, 6 years and •July, 1976 – Voyage begins
daughter Suzanne, 7 years, Larry •Voyage begins from Plymouth, England
Vigil and Herb Seigler •From England via west coast of Africa
•Larry Vigil, American
•Herb Seigler, Swiss
•In the Indian Ocean – December 25
•Voyagers reaches 3,500 kilometres east of
Cape Town
•The weather was still atrocious yet they had a
wonderful holiday complete with a Christmas
tree
•New Year’s Day saw no improvement in the
weather
Dawn, January 2 1977
•Gigantic waves in the morning
•Sailing with only a small storm jib and were
still making eight knots
•Ship rises to the top of each wave
•Endless, enormous seas rolling towards the
ship
•The screaming of the wind and spray painful
to ears
Fighting the Sea
•The storm jib dropped
•A heavy mooring rope in a loop across the
stern lashed
•Double-lashed everything
•Went through life-raft drill
•Attached lifelines
•Donned oilskins and life jackets
6:00 PM, January 2
•Waves higher than the ship, chase the ship
•The wave hits the back of the ship
•The wave breaks the starboard (right side)
•The ship was about to capsize (sink)
•Mary (the narrator’s wife) took
the steering wheel
•Larry and Herb pumped the
water from the deck
•An immediate action required
•Water level rose threateningly
•Pumps stopped functioning
•Electric pumps used
•All radio signals blocked. No
communication with base.
•Sue (the narrator’s daughter)
badly injured
January 4
•Water level almost
dipped
•Still unable to hoist sail
on the mast for fear of
the ship’s possible
wreckage
•Hoisted the storm jib
•Headed to the direction
of Ile Amsterdam (not
very certain about it)
•Ate a meal after 48
hours

January 5
•Weather went on
deteriorating (became
worse)
•Jonathan says “Daddy,
we are not afraid of dying
if we can all be together”
•More water flowed in
•Sue made a card with her
family in the ship as a
caricature.
•Narrator went to sleep after
predicting the ship’s reaching
Ile Amsterdam
•Before 6.00 pm the ship
reached Ile Amsterdam
• courage, conviction and
presence of mind brought
them out of ordeal
•Love and support of family
members induces a fighting
spirit and helps human beings
to remain optimistic and
succeed against all odds
 QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

1. Why did the author undertake the sea journey?

2. What preparations did the author and his wife make for the voyage?
3. How did the children respond when the captain went into their cabin to
comfort them?
4. What problems did the hand pumps cause? How did the author resolve it?
5. What was the impact of the children’s behaviour on the narrator?
6. How did the first leg of their journey pass and when and where did they
sense the first sign of the disaster?
7. Describe the boat which was made for undertaking the voyage.
8. What happened at 6pm on 2nd of January?
9. Justify the title of the text.
10.Explain : ‘pinpricks in the vast ocean’.